This old grain elevator sits in Port Hope near Lake Huron in the Thumb. I grew up in the city and know very little about grain elevators but they are fascinating to me. They look like some sort of Rube Goldberg device with all the tubes, conveyors and chutes sticking out of them. It seems like almost every town in Michigan has one or at least had one.
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The Old Grain Elevator in Avoca between Imlay City and Port Huron. The town was founded in 1884 and named after the Avoca river valley in Ireland. It had a train station at one time, but it’s gone now, and the old elevator has not seen a train in some time. The town is the northern end of the Wadhams to Avoca rail trail.
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The Linden Mills were a vital source of this village’s economic growth. The first mill, located on land granted to Consider Warner, was used to cut lumber. From 1845-1850 Seth Sadler and Samuel W. Warren, local residents, erected both a saw and grist mill. Operating along with the earlier facility, this complex was called the Linden Mills. The grist mill continued to function for over a century until the machinery was dismantled and sold at auction in 1956. The village then purchased the building for municipal offices and a public Library.
Reminder: If you live in the Fenton area I will be giving a presentation on
January 29th from 2-4 pm
8420 Runyan Lake Road, Fenton, MI 48430
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This historic mill was built in 1872 northwest of Leonidas. It closed in the 1960s due to changing regulations for grinding grain. Eston and Lydia Rawson purchased the mill and surrounding property and began restoring the old mill along with planting gardens and updating the landscaping. The Rawsons shared their little slice of heaven with the surrounding community often allowing for neighbors to use it for weddings and other gatherings. in 2015 the property was converted into a county park after Eston and Lydia donated it to St Joseph County.
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The small town of Parhshallville sits in the lower mitten between Fenton and Howell. It is probably best known for the historic grist mill that is now a popular cider mill. The small town also has an interesting history. Isacc Parshall purchased land in 1834 and a few years later founded the community which was named after him. It was about a century later that the town got some new residents that were more than famous, they were “infamous” as the Three Amigos would say. West of the quiet little town the Purple Gang of Detroit purchased a farm and throughout the 20s and 30s, they would hang out at the farm and play poker away from the watchful eyes of the police.
Besides the Purple Gang, the little town had a famous resident. Mark Farner, the lead singer and lead guitar of Flint’s Grand Funk Railroad purchased a farm near Parshallville in the 1970s and built a recording studio at his rural home. The band recorded an album produced by Frank Zappa at Farner’s farm nicknamed the Swamp.
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This historic red mill sits in the southern Michigan town of Manchester. It is along the River Raisin and a small dam makes for an idyllic photo with a manmade waterfall. The historic town was first settled in 1826 and named after Manchester New York.
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Roaming around Ypsilanti, I came across this old grain elevator and had to stop and take a pic of it. I find that in many small towns, the grain elevator is the center of town, but in some of the larger cities the grain elevators are not so important, but I am sure at one time many farmers would “head into town” to the elevator. Being a city kid, I don’t know much about the elevators, but I know they are usually the tallest structures in most cities, if they still have one.
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In the heart of downtown Buchanan is the Pears Mill. It was built in 1857 and is the last of thirteen mills that were built on the McCoy Creek. It was slated for demolition in 1983 after the co-op that used the building moved out. A group of citizens saved and restored the historic mill and it is open to visitors on Saturdays in the summer months. My thought was it seemed strange to build a mill next to downtown but, then I realized the mill was built before most of the town.
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Wolcott Mill located between Romeo and New Haven is among the oldest mills in Michigan. Built on the north branch of the Clinton River in the mid 1840s by the Arad Freeman family, early Macomb County settlers. it passed through several owners before Frederick Wolcott purchased it in 1878. The Wolcott family upgraded the business as technology changed. in 1881 the breastshot waterwheel was replaced by a turbine. The millstones were changed to more efficient metal rollers in 1890, and again improved in 1917. Waterpower was used until the mill closed, but it was supplemented by electric power in the 1920s. Declining business caused the Wolcott family to sell the mill in 1967. The Huron-Clinton Metroparks acquired the mill in 1979 for use as a historic interpretive site.
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I saw this old building in the small town of Tustin. It looks as if it has been a while since it was used for lumber or grain. The Grand Rapids & Indiana Railroad sent Dr. J.P. Tustin, A medical missionary, to Sweden to recruit laborers. About 300 settled in the area south of Cadillac and when the town was granted a post office in 1872, they named it Tustin in honor of Dr. Tustin.
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